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I finally started taking Accutane at a low dose for my oil and acne. I'm taking 20mg a day for now. I actually started a week ago, but I didn't want to make a topic for it until I knew I could tolerate it. I'm tolerating it just fine so far.

Today is my week 1 update, and I guess I'll update every week for now.

Week 1:

My oil and blackheads are definitely still here. There could be a little less oil, but it's hard to tell with oil. It's not like you can count it like you can with pimples. When I started Accutane I had a few huge pimples from when I ate unhealthy food during the holidays, but now I'm back to a generally healthy diet, and my acne is better. I'm pretty sure my acne improved because of my diet, not the Accutane already.

The only side effect I experienced so far is a chapped, peeling bottom lip. My upper lip is fine though lol. I'm kind of surprised how fast my bottom lip started drying out. I had to go buy some chapstick for it, so hopefully that will help. Did anyone else get dry in just one lip at first? I'm sure the upper lip will follow, but for now it's not dry.

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I had the same problem, bottom lip was like a razor blade it was so chapped. Also i had itchy eyebrows and scalp, thats gone now though.However, because I was over-producing oil I've always has to wash my hair everyday, now I don't and I think thats amazing I'm on week six on accutane (30mgs) and its just my bottom lip chapping, I find blistex great though.

Thanks for sharing

x

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I had the same problem, bottom lip was like a razor blade it was so chapped. Also i had itchy eyebrows and scalp, thats gone now though.However, because I was over-producing oil I've always has to wash my hair everyday, now I don't and I think thats amazing I'm on week six on accutane (30mgs) and its just my bottom lip chapping, I find blistex great though.

Thanks for sharing

x

Yea I still have to wash my hair everyday, but hopefully I won't soon. So how long are you going to take 30mg? Are you going to increase or decrease the dose?

I forgot to mention that when I started taking Accutane, I was using benzoyl peroxide once a day. Around day 10, I started using it every other day. I'll probably stop sometime in week 3.

Week 2:

No improvement in acne yet.

My skin and hair are taking longer to get oily, and they never reach the "maximum" amount of oil that they did before. I would say there is about a 30-40% reduction in oil. Blackheads have not improved yet.

Chapped lips are still the only side effect. I'm surprised by how chapped my lips are, considering I'm only taking 20mg and it's only been 2 weeks. My upper lip is starting to get chapped too, but my bottom lip is still worse. I tried chapstick, but that just felt like grease that sits on the top of my skin and doesn't absorb. So I've just been using moisturizer on my lips, and it's helping a little. My lips are peeling and making scabs on them, and they hurt a little. Maybe I should try aquaphor...

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I presume because I'm on a slightly higher dose I saw results quicker. Then again every body is different.

I've been on 30mg since I started, have an appointment with my derm Monday. I think the dosage will be increased to 60mg so I'm prepared for extra dryness on my lips, seems to be the only side effect I'm having, wont complain to much about that though.

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Just had my bloodwork done for the second time, and I have a derm appointment next week.

Week 3:

No improvement in acne or blackheads. At least I didn't get an initial breakout either.

Oil is still reducing, but really slowly. It's at maybe 50% so far. My skin is driest in the morning, when I have some oil on my forehead and the rest of my face is almost dry. Then throughout the day I slowly build up oil all over my face.

My chapped lips got a lot better since I started putting moisturizer on them like every 30 minutes. I guess you just have to constantly moisturize your lips while on Accutane. A few times a day just isn't enough. I also got this slight rash on the back of my hand. It's been really cold lately, but I think the Accutane is at least partially responsible for it. I'll start putting moisturizer on it and keep an eye on it.

Hey! I've followd you for a while on the Nutrition Logs and you give some solid advice man. Sorry that that was not enough to clear you (i experienced the same thing too)/

Good luck with your course and don't be discouraged if you don't see noticeable and consistent improvement for a while - i am in month 3 and still breaking out though not as bad. How long will your course be and at what dose (do you plan to do 20mg the entire course?)

It's a rocky road but like everything else in life, there is always a beginning and an end. Here's to finding my end.

God is good to me..........more than I deserve.

James 1:2-4

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

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Hey! I've followd you for a while on the Nutrition Logs and you give some solid advice man. Sorry that that was not enough to clear you (i experienced the same thing too)/

Good luck with your course and don't be discouraged if you don't see noticeable and consistent improvement for a while - i am in month 3 and still breaking out though not as bad. How long will your course be and at what dose (do you plan to do 20mg the entire course?)

Hey, thanks for the support. I'll be happy as long as the excess oil goes away. I won't mind a few pimples as long as I don't have oil making my entire face gross. Was your skin oily before Accutane? How much are you taking?

At my first appointment my derm kind of rushed me out the door because she was really busy, so we didn't discuss how long I would be taking 20mg and if I would change the dose. I'm planning on taking 20mg until it gets rid of all the excess oil, and then drop down to 10mg for a while to maintain oil free skin. But I guess it matters what my derm thinks too lol.

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I had my appointment on Wednesday, and my bloodwork was perfect. Since I'm still oily, my derm is keeping me on 20mg for another 4 weeks. She doesn't have my regimen planned out, so we're pretty much deciding it as we go along. I picked up another month supply for a whopping $5, thanks to my insurance. I don't think I mentioned this before, but I'm taking the generic brand Amnesteem.

Week 4:

No improvement in acne. My blackheads did actually improve a little. I don't know if there are fewer blackheads, but the blackheads I get have less sebum in them. Let's hope that continues.

I can't really tell what's happening with the oil. My face looks pretty shiny, but then when I wipe my finger across my skin it only feels a little oily. I always thought shininess was directly proportional to the amount of oil, but maybe that's not the case. I can't tell if it's still decreasing. All I know is my skin is shiny and it doesn't feel that oily.

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Firstly I am happy to hear that your skin is starting to produce less oil. Hopefully your acne will start clearing soon.

Mate which country do you live in?

The reason I am asking is because it seems every country, but my own (Australia) and New Zealand, seems to have Aquaphor and bag balm. Bag balm is used less frequently, from what I have seen, but is loved by those who use it. Aquaphor seems to be loved by all that use it, and it is probably the most common one that people use on this site. I am now using Carmex and was using a nipple cream prior to Carmex (as weird as it sounds it worked). The nipple cream was more effective, but Carmex is more practical (have to reapply more often, though less than your current product- for me at least). Hopefully something of this helps.

Lastly good luck with your course and feel free to ask me any question (or anyone on this site, they're all pretty friendly).

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I forgot to mention that I am still using benzoyl peroxide every other day. I'll be able to tolerate it as long as my skin is still oily.

Week 5:

No improvement in acne. I don't think the blackheads improved any more than they already have.

The oil might be decreasing very slowly. I still can't tell if it's decreasing, but it feels like there's a little less. I thought the oil would be gone by now, but I've had it for years, so it won't just go away overnight.

Side effects are just chapped lips and slightly dry skin in certain places. My lips are fine most of the time, but sometimes they decide to peel and then I have to peel off a lot of skin on my lips. I don't enjoy that part. That thing on the back of my hand that I mentioned was just dry skin. I put some moisturizer on it and it went away. So the back of one hand gets dry easily now, and also one of my earlobes lol. I don't know why it's just one side, but it's not that big of a problem. If anything it should indicate that the Accutane is working.

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I'm interested in how this goes. I've thought about it but my dermatologist never got on board with the idea, so I'm curious how this works for you. Thanks for taking the time to document your experience.

Good Luck.

People never cease to amaze me. Some with their brilliance, others with their ignorance.

Here's A Few Acne.org Threads Of Mine You May Find Useful/Interesting (updated 7/25/13)

-- DIY Apple Cider Vinegar Toner

-- How to Ice Inflammed or Picked at Cysts

-- Milk of Magnesia Uses

Other Threads Worth Looking At

-- Oily Skin Research Thread: This shows some of our previous efforts and explains the mechanisms behind oily skin.

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I'm interested in how this goes. I've thought about it but my dermatologist never got on board with the idea, so I'm curious how this works for you. Thanks for taking the time to document your experience.

Good Luck.

Thanks. You can always switch derms if you decide that you want Accutane. If this guy can get Accutane with his 5 pimples, anyone can.

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Still using bp. My acne actually got worse a few days ago, but now it's back to normal. No improvement in acne yet. My blackheads got worse than they were a week ago, so now they are back to normal as well.

I don't think the oil is decreasing anymore. There was that initial decrease, and there are signs that it is working like chapped lips and dry skin in other areas, but my face is still oily. I hope I don't have to increase the dose to see real results.

My chapped lips aren't too bad. I just tried Blistex Complete Moisture lip balm, and although it is way better than chapstick, it doesn't work as well as the Cerave moisturizer I use. The Blistex was still a little greasy, and it smells like lemons. Plus it's just not as moisturizing as the Cerave. After doing some research and trying some lip balms, I came to the conclusion that every lip balm sucks. The whole point of lip balms is to make a waxy barrier on your lips. Their purpose is not to moisturize. Even the "moisturizing" lip balms only moisturize as a secondary function, and can't compete with actual moisturizers. So I'll just be using moisturizers on my lips from now on. I wanted to try another lip balm because they are more convenient to use, but I have to use what works best.

My only other side effect is slightly dry skin in areas other than my face.The skin on my ears is dry, and my forearms have been a little dry recently. The back of my hands are not dry anymore.

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Still using bp every other day and 20mg of Accutane a day. My acne actually got better, but that was because I started taking more zinc again. I realized I my dosage of zinc has been too low for too long, so I increased it back up to 15mg of zinc a day and my inflammation decreased.

My oil is pretty much the same as last week. I should mention that my forehead and cheeks are the only places that get really oily, and my nose and mouth don't get that oily anymore. But it's been like that for like 2 weeks, so I'm not implying that my oil is still decreasing.

Blackheads are looking a little better again, but I won't get my hopes up.

Side effects are still just peeling lips and dry skin in certain areas. I say peeling lips because my moisturizer works great at preventing my lips from being dry, but it can't stop them from peeling. My skin is dry on the back of my hands and my forearms this week. My ears were fine this week, so I guess the dryness comes and goes in different places. If I don't moisturize the dry parts, I get that rash thing I talked about before. It looks like red spots, kinda like acne, but not inflamed and there's no pus in them. The rash goes away if I keep my skin moisturized for a day or two.

It's taking a long time to get rid of the rest of the oil. So far the Accutane isn't worth it, since the oil is only reduced and I have to keep moisturizing parts of my body and peeling my lips all the time. But I understand it takes a while to work(although I didn't think it would take so long just to get rid of oily skin) and I will keep taking it.

It definitely takes time and you are on a low dose. Give it the 5 month period before you write it off. accutane will work to some extent for most people.

Good Luck

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It's a rocky road but like everything else in life, there is always a beginning and an end. Here's to finding my end.

God is good to me..........more than I deserve.

James 1:2-4

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

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Acne is the same as last week. It improved after increasing zinc, now it's staying the same. Blackheads are also the same as last week, a little better than normal.

The oil on my face doesn't look like it's getting any better right now, but I have a suspicion that the hydrating cleanser I'm using is making my face look more shiny that it normally would. When it runs out I'll switch to a different one.

Side effects are still just slightly dry skin on a few areas of my body and peeling lips. The dry skin is not a problem at all, but the peeling lips are annoying. My upper arms got ashy yesterday, which is weird for a white guy such as myself lol. I'll take that as another hint that the Accutane is eventually going to work for my face, but we'll see.

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Still using bp every other day and 20mg of Accutane a day. My acne actually got better, but that was because I started taking more zinc again. I realized I my dosage of zinc has been too low for too long, so I increased it back up to 15mg of zinc a day and my inflammation decreased.

My oil is pretty much the same as last week. I should mention that my forehead and cheeks are the only places that get really oily, and my nose and mouth don't get that oily anymore. But it's been like that for like 2 weeks, so I'm not implying that my oil is still decreasing.

Blackheads are looking a little better again, but I won't get my hopes up.

Side effects are still just peeling lips and dry skin in certain areas. I say peeling lips because my moisturizer works great at preventing my lips from being dry, but it can't stop them from peeling. My skin is dry on the back of my hands and my forearms this week. My ears were fine this week, so I guess the dryness comes and goes in different places. If I don't moisturize the dry parts, I get that rash thing I talked about before. It looks like red spots, kinda like acne, but not inflamed and there's no pus in them. The rash goes away if I keep my skin moisturized for a day or two.

It's taking a long time to get rid of the rest of the oil. So far the Accutane isn't worth it, since the oil is only reduced and I have to keep moisturizing parts of my body and peeling my lips all the time. But I understand it takes a while to work(although I didn't think it would take so long just to get rid of oily skin) and I will keep taking it.

First off, congrats for taking the Accutane plunge. I've always been very scared of the drug because I have very dry skin. I feel like my whole body is just naturally dry - with the exception of my face where I have combination skin - dry and very oil. But winters are always the worst for me. I'll get dry, flaky, scaly skin on my legs, arms, chest, and ears. My hands split and crack and even bleed sometimes. My hair is like wire and my eyes are usually lightly bloodshot from being so dry. I'll actually have to use eyedrops all throughout the day. I had LASIK last year so that's made my eyes even drier. Anyway, I really want to clear my skin and get rid of the oiliness, the scars, the cystic bumps, the blackheads, everything you've said, but I've just been very hesitant about starting Accutane.

Diet: 100% paleo since circa 2014. Recently began including grass-fed liver; bone broth; fermented foods; and more greens into my diet. I cannot stress enough that healing your gut is critical to overcoming acne and all other related health issues. Sleep, exercise, stress management, and social interaction are also very important.

Status as of 04/15/2016: Renu 28 honestly seems to have helped my skin. Usually I am very skeptical of topical treatments because acne is the result of hidden internal stressors (hormones, gut bacteria, food sensitivities, blood sugar response, etc.) but this seems to have provided some level of relief.

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Just had another derm appointment, and she wants me to increase my dose to 40mg. She thinks 40mg really isn't that much, and I kind of agree with her, based on my lack of results so far. Here I am on my 9th week of Accutane and I still have an oily face and I'm still using benzoyl peroxide. If I did go up to 40, I would only take that much until it starts working, and then go back down to 20. Or I could just alternate between 20 and 40. I think I'll at least alternate between 20 and 40, but I may end up taking 40 every day.

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Acne is still ok, blackheads are slightly better than when I started, and oil has been the same for weeks now, stuck at around 50%.

Side effects are still just peeling lips and slightly dry arms, hands, and ears.

I decided to just go up to 40mg every day. I know that's not even a low dose anymore, but I'm not going to keep doing something that isn't working. I'd like to have normal skin without waiting 6 months. So I'll start 40mg today, on the first day of week 10. I can't believe it's been 9 weeks already...and I can't believe it's not working better yet. I will go back down to a low dose for maintenance probably a few weeks after my skin starts looking normal.

Edit: It turns out my derm wanted me to go up to 40mg but she didn't give me enough pills to last on 40mg until my next appointment...nice one derm. So I guess I'll alternate between 20 and 40 for one or two weeks before I go up to 40 every day so I don't run out of pills.